Issues 1 and 2 can help advance development in Broadview Heights: Sun Star-Courier Editorial

A final draft of the town center special planning district in Broadview Heights. COURTESY OF THE CITY OF BROADVIEW HEIGHTS

Grandiose master plans sometimes are created and then sit on a shelf gathering dust until another group of officials band together to update the plans.

Luckily, this is not the case in Broadview Heights where officials worked on a new plan in 2010 and then quickly turned around and looked at ways to make those plans a reality.

The end result is Issue 2, which creates a special planning district around the town center and Issue 1, which creates a business “conversion” corridor leading to the special planning district.

Issue 2 creates a special planning district, broken into two zones, extending from Old Royalwood Road in the north to just south of Broadview Center and just west of Seneca Boulevard east past Broadview Road to just west of Cherry Hill Lane and Ledgemont Drive.

At its core is the approximately 107-acre Zone A with a focus on the area at the intersection of Broadview and Royalton roads. This is where the bulk of the new commercial activity the city hopes the SPD will generate can be located.

Of course, for new business to locate in this area, the population density needs to be beefed up.

That’s why city leaders created Zone B, an approximately 275-acre section that serves as a buffer between the heavy commercial section and existing residential properties. This section would also allow for the creation of cluster and town-home style living to beef up residential density to attract more commercial growth at the center of the city.

A major concern some might have is over development of the two zones, but built into the new zoning are percentage limits of what can be built that take into consideration what is already built. There are also sections that stipulate design aesthetics to make the zones flow as a cohesive unit.

With Issue 1, the city would add a C-6 Conversion Corridor zone to the list of approved commercial zones in the city. The conversion corridor is located around the Avery and Royalton road intersection.

Property owners in what would become the “conversion corridor” brought this plan to the city’s attention because they wanted to be part of the SPD. This section allows for the same kind of development as found in C-3 Office Space Districts but adds special area and architectural design stipulations that complement the design aesthetic of the SPD.

It’s an ambitious plan with many components. But what’s important to remember is that the end result presents a tremendous opportunity to transform a key portion of the city into a desirable area for both developers and residents. The first step is for residents to vote YES on issue 1 and 2 and help the city develop and create its own identity.

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